Take Action: Pressuring Governors on Health Care

Take five minutes to make a phone call today. With the Senate health bill unveiled, state Governors have shown they have a huge amount at stake in its future. Some of them have pressured their Senator counterparts already. Governors have both a responsibility to take care of their constituents coupled with the ability to levy political influence at high levels. For this reason, The Decoder takes action this week by calling on them.

This week the Republican Senate health care bill suffered a setback as Senator Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced voting on the bill would be delayed until after the July 4th recess. McConnell, the primary crafter of the bill, had hoped to vote and pass the bill this week. The delay can be attributed to the grassroots movement to bring attention to the harmful impacts of the bill, followed by the Congressional Budget Office’s analysis revealing an additional 22 million people would be uninsured with ten years of this bill’s passage.

The Decoder continues to encourage efforts to speak out on a bill that would reshape 1/6 of the economy. Yesterday there were demonstrations across the country. Here is a small sample:

Today we shift the focus a small amount away from the Senators, who are under heavy scrutiny from their constituents, to state Governors. Governors have shown their power in swaying their Senate counterparts this week by decrying the bill’s impacts on their states. The example that has come up repeatedly has been Governors saying the cuts to Medicaid are too drastic. This has been the case in Nevada, in Ohio, and in New Hampshire. The New York Times, Washington Post and The Hill have all reported on the crucial role Governors are carving out for themselves.

So today, call your Governor and let them know what you think of the bill. We will show you how to do this in five minutes.

Call your Governors today regardless of their position.

Take Action

1.) Determine whether you support the Senate healthcare plan.

2.) Plan for your call.

We’ll use our go-to template. Adjust it as you see fit.

My name is __(Name)__ from ___(Location)____. I [support/oppose] the Senate healthcare bill.

I [support/oppose] this action because _____(Reason)_______.

I am contacting you because I want to know what you are going to do to show you take this issue seriously.

Cover these main points:

– State who you are

– Be clear about whether you support or oppose an action

– Give a brief reason for your stance.

– Ask what they will do about it

The most important thing is to be clear about whether you support or oppose it because that is easiest for congressional staff and businesses to tally.

3.) Call your Governor’s office. Follow this USA.gov link to select your state and be taken directly to your Governor’s contact information.

The staff member receiving the call may do one of several things including thanking you for the call and/or reading a statement put forth by the Governor. They may also point out to you that this is a Senate bill and therefore beyond the Governor’s scope. In this case, tell them you understand that but you want the Governor to do more. Governors in other states are speaking out in bipartisan settings. Refer back to your reasoning for why this is important to you.

4.) Tell someone how it went. Tweet it, post it on Facebook, tell your family, text your friends, do whatever you prefer but let someone know you are taking action. It takes a lot of work to build the world you want. The more that people see their friends taking action, the more likely they are to come off the sidelines and contribute too.